Contribution limit.
In plain English
401(k)s, IRAs, HSAs, and FSAs each have separate limits that don't share space: maxing one doesn't reduce another. Most include catch-up amounts at 50+ (55+ for HSAs). The limits reset every January, and unused room doesn't roll forward. Miss a year, and that year's tax-advantaged space is gone.
01Why it matters
The limits are use-it-or-lose-it tax shelter, so knowing them is how you avoid leaving free tax protection on the table each year.
02The math, step by step
A 35-year-old with a 401(k), an IRA, and an HSA can shelter the sum of all three limits in one year, each in its own lane. For 2026 the specific figures are: 401(k) $24,500, IRA $7,500, and HSA $4,400 self-only or $8,750 for family coverage.
03What this is NOT
The limit is a ceiling, not a goal. The employer match also doesn't count against your employee 401(k) limit; there's a separate, higher combined cap.
04Receipts
Every figure on this page is sourced to a primary document. Tap to open the original.
Plain-English answers from our glossary. Receipts included. Never advice.
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